Overtime Cuts Lead to Reduced Programming in California Prisons
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reduced access to hundreds of programs operating within state prisons as the agency clamps down on overtime spending, CalMatters reported.
The programs include those focusing on restorative justice, violence prevention, higher education, arts and entrepreneurial training. Corresponding with the end of the CDCR’s fiscal year, the cuts began in June 2026 and lasted until the end of the month. CDCR’s annual budget has roughly remained flat since 2022 at around $18 billion a year, despite closing five prisons in recent years. [See: PLN, Jan. 2026, p.57.] Earlier in 2026, the agency requested an additional $91 million to cover unbudgeted personnel costs.
Tony Tafoya, a prisoner enrolled at Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, told CalMatters that his math class missed out on 12 days of instruction. “I feel like I’m falling behind,” Tafoya said. “There’s a lot of healing that comes from going to school … I feel like that’s what’s being missed out on.”
While CDCR did not disclose which prisons and programs were affected, a civic education pilot program at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga was interrupted. The program includes over a dozen prisoners who helped draft a bill to improve social emotional learning in the K-12 school system; the bill, AB 1851, is currently making its way through the California legislature.
Source: CalMatters
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